It is known from practice that for laser beam welding, a remote laser head is guided along the path to be welded by means of a multiaxial manipulator, without touching the component. The manipulator has a plurality of basic axes and a hand with a plurality of hand axes. The irradiation angle β on the component is maintained extensively constant. This is achieved by a simultaneous and superimposing motion of all manipulator axes, the bulky basic axes being involved to a great extent. The circumstance that the robot must perform short, choppy motions during the welding of short seam sections due to the high velocities that are necessary because of the cycle time is problematic here. This brings the robot to the limit of a mechanical overload. In addition, the welding velocities that are potentially possible with the laser beam process frequently cannot be fully utilized, which may lead to loss of cycle time and to corresponding problems related to time and plant engineering.
Furthermore, it is known from practice that it is possible to work with remote laser heads, which have an integrated scanner optical system with a plurality of movable mirrors for deflecting the laser beam. The scanner optical systems are, however, relatively expensive and require an additional design and control effort.